Karen Fuller Brannen (née Tribbett) was the first
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
female
strike fighter
In current military parlance, a strike fighter is a multirole combat aircraft designed to operate both as an attack aircraft and as an air superiority fighter. As a category, it is distinct from fighter-bombers. It is closely related to the c ...
pilot.
Military career
She joined the armed forces in 1994 and left active duty in 2007, but remains a reserve
Colonel in the Marine Corps. During her career she attained the rank of major, then progressed to Lt. Col.
Civilian career
After leaving active duty, she started working for Gulfstream.
Awards
She was inducted into the
Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...
in 2013, becoming the first marine inducted. She was a USMC
F/A-18 pilot for 3 years, before being the first woman to be awarded '
wings of gold'.
Personal life
She married Matt Brannen in 2010.
References
Living people
Female United States Marine Corps personnel
United States Marine Corps officers
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American women
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